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Caribbean Chronicles #1
Curse of the Black Avenger
Eddie Jones
266 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2010
34 people are currently reading
1075 people want to read
About the author
Eddie Jones
37 books119 followersEddie is an award-winning author of middle-grade fiction with HarperCollins. Father of two boys, he's also a pirate at heart who loves to surf.
Eddie's middle grade series are wholesome reading with a flair for unexpected adventure. The Caden Chronicles series has a spooky but spiritual message based on real "monsters" in the Bible. The sixth book in the series, "Rumor of a Werewolf", released in June 2019 and is a finalist for the Selah awards in Middle Grade fiction.
"The Caribbean Chronicles" is a time-travel pirate adventure series based on a boy who suffers from absence seizures. The third book, "The End of Calico Jack", released September 2019 and is a finalist for the Selah award in Young Adult fiction. All of Eddie's pirate and "monster" mystery books are award-winners.
An avid sailor with a great sense of humor, Eddie has been married to a girl he met at a stoplight in West Palm Beach during spring break many, many years ago.
Awards for Middle Grade and YA novels
* Winner of the Selah award for tween / teen mysteries
* INSPY Award
* Moonbeam Children's Book Award
Readers Are Leaders - Buy a Boy a Book!
WritersCoach.us
Eddiejones.org
eddie@eddiejones.org
Twitter.com/EddieJonesTweet
Facebook.com/EddieJonesHumor
Instagram.com/authoreddiejones
Eddie's middle grade series are wholesome reading with a flair for unexpected adventure. The Caden Chronicles series has a spooky but spiritual message based on real "monsters" in the Bible. The sixth book in the series, "Rumor of a Werewolf", released in June 2019 and is a finalist for the Selah awards in Middle Grade fiction.
"The Caribbean Chronicles" is a time-travel pirate adventure series based on a boy who suffers from absence seizures. The third book, "The End of Calico Jack", released September 2019 and is a finalist for the Selah award in Young Adult fiction. All of Eddie's pirate and "monster" mystery books are award-winners.
An avid sailor with a great sense of humor, Eddie has been married to a girl he met at a stoplight in West Palm Beach during spring break many, many years ago.
Awards for Middle Grade and YA novels
* Winner of the Selah award for tween / teen mysteries
* INSPY Award
* Moonbeam Children's Book Award
Readers Are Leaders - Buy a Boy a Book!
WritersCoach.us
Eddiejones.org
eddie@eddiejones.org
Twitter.com/EddieJonesTweet
Facebook.com/EddieJonesHumor
Instagram.com/authoreddiejones
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 26, 2014
“The Curse of Captain LaFoote” may have been written with the young adult reader in mind, but this older reader was completely swept up in the tale. The adventure begins with an ordinary fifteen-year-old who, through strange circumstances, is transported into a netherworld of pirates, intrigue, danger and a smattering of romance—just enough to keep the girls enthralled.
The scenes are so well written, this reader was caught up in the action, waiting to see what would happen next. I was delighted with the dialogue—at times funny, always witty—and the action was constant and breathtaking. It seems like a natural for a sequel. I hope Mr. Jones will consider a series.
The scenes are so well written, this reader was caught up in the action, waiting to see what would happen next. I was delighted with the dialogue—at times funny, always witty—and the action was constant and breathtaking. It seems like a natural for a sequel. I hope Mr. Jones will consider a series.
December 16, 2022
To be honest, I did not finish reading this story although I made it more than half way through. At first the story was interesting but somewhere along the way it became boring and flat. Granted, I'm no longer a young adult so I'm sure this is purely my own opinion.
Easy to read and understand, this story would be great in the hands of a 12+ year old youngster. Lots of action but the WOW factor wasn't there.
Easy to read and understand, this story would be great in the hands of a 12+ year old youngster. Lots of action but the WOW factor wasn't there.
March 29, 2025
Audiobook: I enjoyed this pirate adventure story. I liked Ricky who was a pretty typical schoolboy who had a condition most people were unaware of. My imagination was captured by the image of Ricky falling into a creek and trying to rescue a dog and then being swept into a pirate adventure after finding himself on a raft in the middle of the Carribean Sea. I enjoyed Christopher Dumbreski's narration as his performance was entertaining and I liked all the various voices that he provided for the different characters. I was given a copy of the audiobook. I volunteered, without financial gain, to post this review which reflected my honest opinions regarding this audiobook.
November 16, 2018
This was a lot of fun. Good clean (Thank You!!) fun. The kids at our school will love it!
April 2, 2019
I could not get into this story.
October 19, 2023
audiobook format
Bought for my grandson, he will probably enjoy it. I wanted to make sure it was age appropriate for him since I have purchased most of the series for him.
Bought for my grandson, he will probably enjoy it. I wanted to make sure it was age appropriate for him since I have purchased most of the series for him.
August 21, 2020
This is a very different book for me (I like mystery/thrillers) but I fancied a change and I like the blurb of this book, so thought I would give it ago. I did enjoy it but it took me awhile to get use to the jumping around. Every time the main character gets into trouble and he touches water he wakes up some where else (it kind of reminded me of the tv show Forever) not sure if he died each time or not, I think that should have been explained a bit better. There was a few unanswered questions that hopefully will be explained in the next book, especially things surrounding his father. But other than that I enjoyed it. The pirate aspect of the story was just as you imagine them behaving and acting, by double crossing and treasure hunting. A fun listen that keeps you guessing what is going to happen next.
A fire breaks out in Ricky's apartment and he neighbour dies jumping out the window. Ricky after witnessing this tragic accident comes to the add of a stray down drowning. The problems is water triggers his epilepsy and when he wakes up he finds his dead neighbour standing over him, offering him a choice go with her or return to his body. He chooses to turn to his body only to wake up of a wooden raft in the middle of the sea with only a dog for company and so begins his big adventure as a pirate. Staying alive, rescuing the girl, hunting for treasure and keeping the dog out of trouble, all while sailing the high seas. Along the way he will have to decide who to trust and who to avoid.
I liked the narrator he did some very good pirate impressions, just what you imagine them sounding like.
A fire breaks out in Ricky's apartment and he neighbour dies jumping out the window. Ricky after witnessing this tragic accident comes to the add of a stray down drowning. The problems is water triggers his epilepsy and when he wakes up he finds his dead neighbour standing over him, offering him a choice go with her or return to his body. He chooses to turn to his body only to wake up of a wooden raft in the middle of the sea with only a dog for company and so begins his big adventure as a pirate. Staying alive, rescuing the girl, hunting for treasure and keeping the dog out of trouble, all while sailing the high seas. Along the way he will have to decide who to trust and who to avoid.
I liked the narrator he did some very good pirate impressions, just what you imagine them sounding like.
November 30, 2012
I finished the book over a week ago and have been mulling over what I should say about it. I think my expectations for the book may have been too high. First, I like pirate books, who doesn’t? And then it has received a couple of awards, so I expected it to be pretty good. Bear with me while I go through a list of things I liked and things that were…not so clear.
Rating:PG-13
The good: “PG-13 for violence and light adult themes” ~ The publisher actually rated this book themselves (yay! You go, PYP).
The not-so-clear: People died in the book and it was no big deal. Unlike R.L. Copple’s book Mind Game, there was no apparent respect for life. Perhaps they weren’t “real” in the main character’s opinion since they were in an alternate reality setting, but this wasn’t clear. I was just surprised at how violence and death were handled in the book. I would have expected more gravity, grief, remorse, and there wasn’t really any.
Theology: Crossover
Crossover = A book that Christians and non-Christians are both supposed to like. That means that there can be references to God but its supposed to be more main stream. (At least that’s my take on it).
The good: There were a lot of biblical references in the book, and some were quite clever. For instance,
“The point is, you should show a little more respect. If not, you could end up like those boys in the Bible who were eaten by bears”
“Bears ate boys in the Bible?”
“The book of Second Kings.”
Don’t remember the reference? Check out 2 Kings 2:23-25. The moral? Don’t mess with Elisha. No name calling.
The bad: So the author references the “Big Guy” in a positive, if flippant, way. But we have two figures in the book that seem to be some sort of spiritual guide–a dead pregnant Asian ex-neighbor and a Hispanic guy named Paco–who give the main character, Ricky, advice/options. The woman claims to be from God and tells him not to trust Paco. We don’t know what to believe, and Ricky tends not to do what the Asian woman (who is ostensibly from God?) wants. It’s confusing and the end of the book doesn’t resolve who is the good advisor–presumably we will learn that in a sequel.
Social Issues:
I’m not sure epilepsy counts as a social issue, but the book was written in part to raise money to help kids and adults who suffer with epilepsy.
“My goal in writing this book was to spur the imagination of young readers. Boys especially. But I also want to help kids (and adults) who suffer with epilepsy.”
The author/publisher are giving away part of the proceeds from book sales to raise money. Also, Ricky is epileptic. It’s actually the reason (I think) that he ends up in pirate country. It seems like he has an out-of-body experience during an epileptic seizure that almost causes him to drown. But that part’s confusing also.
And that was my big quandary with the book. It was confusing, and nothing was really cleared up at the end.
Pirates are realistic in this book, which is different than books which portray them as heroes. The book is a bit disjointed (or at least I thought so) in the way it jumps from scene to scene and sometimes it is difficult to tell what’s going on. I like to think I’m a pretty savvy reader, but I was kinda lost on this one. I thought I had it figured out but without the expected clarification at the end, the book is like one of those TV shows that leave you with a “to be continued…” frustration.
I think teenage boys would probably enjoy this book–it’s the intended audience. Unlike Mike Lupica’s Hero, I don’t know that it will have broad appeal outside that audience. The book is set up as the beginning of a series. I may consider reading #2 to see if it gets better/clarifies things, but I’ll wait until someone else reads and reviews it first.
Rating:PG-13
The good: “PG-13 for violence and light adult themes” ~ The publisher actually rated this book themselves (yay! You go, PYP).
The not-so-clear: People died in the book and it was no big deal. Unlike R.L. Copple’s book Mind Game, there was no apparent respect for life. Perhaps they weren’t “real” in the main character’s opinion since they were in an alternate reality setting, but this wasn’t clear. I was just surprised at how violence and death were handled in the book. I would have expected more gravity, grief, remorse, and there wasn’t really any.
Theology: Crossover
Crossover = A book that Christians and non-Christians are both supposed to like. That means that there can be references to God but its supposed to be more main stream. (At least that’s my take on it).
The good: There were a lot of biblical references in the book, and some were quite clever. For instance,
“The point is, you should show a little more respect. If not, you could end up like those boys in the Bible who were eaten by bears”
“Bears ate boys in the Bible?”
“The book of Second Kings.”
Don’t remember the reference? Check out 2 Kings 2:23-25. The moral? Don’t mess with Elisha. No name calling.
The bad: So the author references the “Big Guy” in a positive, if flippant, way. But we have two figures in the book that seem to be some sort of spiritual guide–a dead pregnant Asian ex-neighbor and a Hispanic guy named Paco–who give the main character, Ricky, advice/options. The woman claims to be from God and tells him not to trust Paco. We don’t know what to believe, and Ricky tends not to do what the Asian woman (who is ostensibly from God?) wants. It’s confusing and the end of the book doesn’t resolve who is the good advisor–presumably we will learn that in a sequel.
Social Issues:
I’m not sure epilepsy counts as a social issue, but the book was written in part to raise money to help kids and adults who suffer with epilepsy.
“My goal in writing this book was to spur the imagination of young readers. Boys especially. But I also want to help kids (and adults) who suffer with epilepsy.”
The author/publisher are giving away part of the proceeds from book sales to raise money. Also, Ricky is epileptic. It’s actually the reason (I think) that he ends up in pirate country. It seems like he has an out-of-body experience during an epileptic seizure that almost causes him to drown. But that part’s confusing also.
And that was my big quandary with the book. It was confusing, and nothing was really cleared up at the end.
Pirates are realistic in this book, which is different than books which portray them as heroes. The book is a bit disjointed (or at least I thought so) in the way it jumps from scene to scene and sometimes it is difficult to tell what’s going on. I like to think I’m a pretty savvy reader, but I was kinda lost on this one. I thought I had it figured out but without the expected clarification at the end, the book is like one of those TV shows that leave you with a “to be continued…” frustration.
I think teenage boys would probably enjoy this book–it’s the intended audience. Unlike Mike Lupica’s Hero, I don’t know that it will have broad appeal outside that audience. The book is set up as the beginning of a series. I may consider reading #2 to see if it gets better/clarifies things, but I’ll wait until someone else reads and reviews it first.
April 2, 2020
Well, I wrote the book so I shouldn't say too much. The publisher sent me a pre-order copy to review. They've done a great job with the layout and look. Here's the short press release.
On December 4, Port Yonder Press released the Kindle version of The Curse of Captain LaFoote — a Young Adult novel by Eddie Jones.
“My goal in writing this book was to spur the imagination of young readers,” says Eddie. “Boys especially. I wanted to create within them a desire to read and set sail for a life of adventure on the high seas.” Note: Eddie sails and surfs and sometimes works.
“I also want to help kids (and adults) who suffer with epilepsy. That’s why I created a “Heroes Among Us” page in honor of Ricky Bradshaw, the hero of the book. Ricky suffers from epilepsy. Our goal is to raise $10,000 for the Epilepsy Foundation. For each book sold, the publisher will donate a few pieces of eight - half a sandy dollar – to Ricky’s Hero fund.”
Eddie says, regardless of how well the book sells, if it helps others become “Seizure Smart!” and raises money to fight epilepsy, then it’s a success.
You can help by visiting the book’s Amazon page, read the free sample (on the right side of the page) and write a review. Or give a copy to a young reader. NO KINDLE REQUIRED. Readers young and old can install the Kindle app FOR FREE on their smart phone, PC or Mac. The total investment for this high seas adventure is only $2.99!
Links:
www.captainlafoote.com/Heroes/ricky.html (“Heroes Among Us” page)
www.captainlafoote.com (Book's main web site)
www.captainlafoote.com/buy/ (Takes you to the book's Amazon page)
On December 4, Port Yonder Press released the Kindle version of The Curse of Captain LaFoote — a Young Adult novel by Eddie Jones.
“My goal in writing this book was to spur the imagination of young readers,” says Eddie. “Boys especially. I wanted to create within them a desire to read and set sail for a life of adventure on the high seas.” Note: Eddie sails and surfs and sometimes works.
“I also want to help kids (and adults) who suffer with epilepsy. That’s why I created a “Heroes Among Us” page in honor of Ricky Bradshaw, the hero of the book. Ricky suffers from epilepsy. Our goal is to raise $10,000 for the Epilepsy Foundation. For each book sold, the publisher will donate a few pieces of eight - half a sandy dollar – to Ricky’s Hero fund.”
Eddie says, regardless of how well the book sells, if it helps others become “Seizure Smart!” and raises money to fight epilepsy, then it’s a success.
You can help by visiting the book’s Amazon page, read the free sample (on the right side of the page) and write a review. Or give a copy to a young reader. NO KINDLE REQUIRED. Readers young and old can install the Kindle app FOR FREE on their smart phone, PC or Mac. The total investment for this high seas adventure is only $2.99!
Links:
www.captainlafoote.com/Heroes/ricky.html (“Heroes Among Us” page)
www.captainlafoote.com (Book's main web site)
www.captainlafoote.com/buy/ (Takes you to the book's Amazon page)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 22, 2011
This book was hard to read. It was confusing, and it didn't seem to have a plot. A lot of things happened, but it didn't seem to really have plot.
I felt like there should have been more emotional reactions. Everything was from Ricky's perspective, so I was in his head, but most of the time I didn't know what he was thinking, so I didn't connect with him very well.
The beginning had pretty good pacing. The middle was really exciting. But then things got confusing again, and two thirds of the way through I just got really flustered because there were no answers (and no plot) in sight. I gave up, but then sighed and read one more page, and it got exciting again.
But at the end I was still confused. I was glad I finished it because I was getting annoyed. I found myself reading only the dialogue during the last quarter of the book.
I'm still not quite sure what the plot was. I don't know what the curse was. I don't know what happens at the end. All I know is Ricky and Rebecca survive and sail away on a boat (I think it's stolen) and the dog is gone. Maybe. Actually I'm not sure if the dog is gone or not.
Confusing. See? this is my confused face. o.0
(And while we're at it, this is my pirate face. o.-- )
Content: clean
I felt like there should have been more emotional reactions. Everything was from Ricky's perspective, so I was in his head, but most of the time I didn't know what he was thinking, so I didn't connect with him very well.
The beginning had pretty good pacing. The middle was really exciting. But then things got confusing again, and two thirds of the way through I just got really flustered because there were no answers (and no plot) in sight. I gave up, but then sighed and read one more page, and it got exciting again.
But at the end I was still confused. I was glad I finished it because I was getting annoyed. I found myself reading only the dialogue during the last quarter of the book.
I'm still not quite sure what the plot was. I don't know what the curse was. I don't know what happens at the end. All I know is Ricky and Rebecca survive and sail away on a boat (I think it's stolen) and the dog is gone. Maybe. Actually I'm not sure if the dog is gone or not.
Confusing. See? this is my confused face. o.0
(And while we're at it, this is my pirate face. o.-- )
Content: clean
February 13, 2017
This is a great fantasy/adventure for the whole family. Although children below the age of 8 or 9 will need it read to them. It would also make a good movie. I say this as a grandfather of five, so don't mistake it for a kids-only book. Eddie has provided a family-friendly story that entertains and well as teaches some important life lessons.
October 5, 2014
Action packed, fast paced, full of intrigue and suspense! What more could you ask for in a book. The Curse of Captain Lafoote is written as a YA, but as an adult I loved it. You'll dive deep into the life of a pirate at sea, the crew at the mercy of the Captain's will.
Unsuspecting Ricky is pulled from the life he knows of video games and pizza and brought aboard a pirate ship sailing the seas long before he was born. As he tries to make sense of what is going on he has to make choices to stay alive. Aboard the ship he faces adventures he never would have expected. As he learns the ropes on board the pirate vessel he also learns more about himself and the man he is becoming.
I can't recommend The Curse of Captain Lafoote enough, both for youth and adults. 5 Stars, and I hope there will be more books in the series in the future.
Unsuspecting Ricky is pulled from the life he knows of video games and pizza and brought aboard a pirate ship sailing the seas long before he was born. As he tries to make sense of what is going on he has to make choices to stay alive. Aboard the ship he faces adventures he never would have expected. As he learns the ropes on board the pirate vessel he also learns more about himself and the man he is becoming.
I can't recommend The Curse of Captain Lafoote enough, both for youth and adults. 5 Stars, and I hope there will be more books in the series in the future.
June 10, 2011
The Curse of Captian LaFoote is geared towards the Young Fiction Audience ~ young teen or middle school age! I wanted to make sure that I was comfortable before handing it over to my Son to read. Eddie Jones has a passion for telling Pirate Stories and does a Fabulous job with this book! As is common with any Pirate story or movie, there are battles, buried treasure and a whole lot of adventure! Because I have a 14 year old Son who loves to read and loves pirate stories, I know this is going into his summer reading pile for sure!
April 16, 2011
In true EDDIE JONES fashion, this adventure takes you through the imagination of a young boy and spits you out into the world of pirates. A wonderful read for middle grade kids and adults with a eye for the ocean, The Curse of Captain LaFoote will have you in search of buried treasure. Put on your sword, man the ships and sail away with Ricky Bradshaw.
October 9, 2011
I loved this story. Geared toward Middle/early High School aged kids, the curious adventure of a young man with epilepsy who awakens adrift on the high seas, a pirate, a strange rescuer, a cute dog and a little romance makes the perfect combination of high stakes exciting take-me-away read. Greatly looking forward to the next episode.
July 10, 2013
I really enjoyed this book, I love how the author paints his world, until somewhere in the last half when the spiritual guides (Hispanic/Asian/cannibal woman?) made it very confusing. I'm still not sure what happened. I loved the idea of the kid's ability to time travel. (I think that happened) But if that whole section had been eliminated, it would have been practically perfect.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews